9/16/2026 – FIDE Press Officer Michael Rahal writes: "By now, I have attended my fair share of opening and closing ceremonies: Grand Prix events, several World Cups and Olympiads, and even the opening and closing ceremonies of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. But none of them comes remotely close to what the chess community witnessed this evening in Samarkand, Uzbekistan." Here's what impressed him so.

9/16/2026 – GM Jon Speelman returns to the theme of opening preparation in the computer era, examining how engine-assisted novelties can unsettle even the strongest players. His examples begin with Fabiano Caruana's preparation from the recent Grand Chess Tour final, before moving to an earlier attacking idea by Hikaru Nakamura and, finally, the famous gambit introduced by Frank Marshall (pictured) against José Raúl Capablanca in New York in 1918.

9/15/2026 – The first major international tournament after the end of the Second World War took place in Groningen in August and September. It was the anniversary tournament of the Staunton Chess Club, founded in 1871. For the first time ever, a group of Soviet players also took part in a tournament outside the Soviet Union. Before the tournament began, they inadvertently caused a number of organizational problems. Report with video... | Photos: Dutch National Archives (Anefo), unless otherwise indicated.

9/15/2026 – Georgios Makropoulos, FIDE Vice President and a longstanding figure in Greek and international chess, has died at the age of 72. A seven-time Greek champion and former Olympiad player, Makropoulos later became one of the most prominent administrators in the game. He served in senior FIDE roles for four decades and also played a central part in Greek chess, including helping bring the 1984 and 1988 Chess Olympiads to Thessaloniki.

9/15/2026 – On 15 August 2026, the publisher, renowned author and chess historian Anthony Gillam died at the age of 83. He was one of the leading figures of the Chess History & Literature Society. In his obituary, Michael Negele recalls many moments from their shared research and the joy of discovery.

9/15/2026 – At the end of August, the chess historians of the Chess History & Literature Society met in Copenhagen to exchange new findings from their research into chess history and chess literature in talks and lectures, and to present interesting new books. Herbert Bastian, Michael Negele and Frank Hoffmeister report. | Photo: The conference venue, Skakkens Hus, Sølvgade 5, 1307 Copenhagen / Photos: Herbert Bastian

9/15/2026 – Knight magic: Knight sacrifices happen from time to time in knight endgames: White to move and draw.

9/14/2026 – FIDE is pleased to announce the regulations for the Salesforce FIDE World Championship Match 2026, confirming the venue, format, schedule, and prize distribution for the meeting between reigning World Champion Grandmaster Gukesh D and his challenger, Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov. The match will be held at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland, from 22 November to 13 December 2026, bringing a World Championship match back to Switzerland for the first time since Brissago in 2004.

9/14/2026 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world's best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

9/14/2026 – For centuries, Samarkand stood at the crossroads of civilisations. Merchants, scholars and travellers crossed the ancient Silk Road, carrying ideas and cultures from one part of the world to another. Now, another kind of journey will bring the world to the legendary city: 400 chess teams from across the globe will gather for the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad.

9/14/2026 – The Ganges Grandmasters have won the fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. In the final in Bengaluru, Ian Nepomniachtchi's team defeated defending champions Alpine APL Pipers 4-2. After the first match ended 3-3, the Grandmasters won the second, with Nepomniachtchi scoring a spectacular victory over Magnus Carlsen and Stavroula Tsolakidou beating Humpy Koneru to seal the title. Viswanathan Anand and his PBG Alaskan Knights had already been eliminated before the final day. | Photos and videos: ChessBase India

9/14/2026 – In his column ‘The Fortress’ in ChessBase Magazine, Dorian Rogozenco follows a clear approach: at the start of his video introduction, he presents the position on the board – ‘This is today’s fortress’. He then explains how the fortress works – why the pieces belong on precisely these squares and how, as the defender, you must respond to your opponent’s attempts to attack. And you’ll learn what to look out for in order to build the fortress from a practical endgame. In most cases, these are just a few simple principles that are easy to remember. To round things off, there’s a practical test: demonstrate your skills in five interactive training exercises! The level of difficulty increases from task to task, but thanks to the tools provided by Dorian Rogozenco, you’ll be able to master them all. Give it a go right now – in this week’s new CBM sample!